Just Walk Away
by Sultan Peppershaker
Summary: It had started out innocently enough. Just a game. Nothing more could have come out of it. He so wished that was true now... If this is a oneshot, then I'm not very good at doing oneshots.
1. You turn around and see your life

Disclaimer: In no way, shape, or form, do I own Phil of the Future, or "Aléjate." Oy, these legal disclaimers. If we owned this stuff, we wouldn't be writing this on am I right?

Author's Note: OK, thanks for reading my _first_ fan fiction! Wow, I sound like a pathetic loser. We may not be able to die with dignity, but I can at least try to have some while I do my Author note. Let me try again. This is my first fic (And probably my longest author's note)… hopefully not my last story. A few things I should go over before liftoff. First, this is my first fic (Have I mentioned that?), so if it's not great, don't hate me. Second, yes, I am aware that "Aléjate" is a Spanish song, and I am also aware that most Americans don't speak Spanish. That's why I supplied translations next to the Spanish (the original lyrics). If you think I'm an idiot because I put the original lyrics, I guess it's so you know what you're getting if you decide to download the song (Yeah, right. Like you're going to download this.). Besides, there are legal obligations to the song, anyway. Sorry if this author's note is at all confusing. Anyway, I guess at the very least, the "Grobanites" will actually learn what the lyrics mean if they don't know already. Feel free to point out mistakes, bilinguals! Enough rambling. On with the story!

_**Jamás sentí en el alma tanto amor** _(I never felt so much love in my soul)  
_  
**Y nadie mas que tú, mi amó **_(And no one loved me more than you did)  
_  
**Por ti reí y lloré, renací también** _(For you I laughed and cried, and was reborn)  
_  
**Lo que tuve dí, por tenerte aquí** _(I gave all I have to keep you here)

Phil knew that day was going to be a little different. His parents were going out to celebrate their anniversary, and Keely's parents were doing the same. By some astonishing coincidence, their anniversaries were on the same day. Pim would be at Debbie's house, because Debbie invited her over for a sleepover, which Pim reluctantly agreed to. He would have the house to himself. He would be living, dare I say it, the sweet life... at least for a few hours, anyway.

He and Keely had agreed to hang out later in the day, as she was going somewhere with her friends earlier in the day.

While he was waiting for her, he decided to watch "Saw." He probably wouldn't have if he knew that the power would go out right after he finished it.

"_Game over," 'Jigsaw' said, and slammed the door_. That was then when the power went out, leaving him in total darkness.

"Oh, jeez," Phil muttered. "This isn't happening."

The rain was coming down fairly hard, and Phil sat nervously on the couch, jumping at the slightest noise. A branch kept tapping on the window, and it seemed to be getting louder. Much louder and more deliberate… He was ready to cut it down, when the doorbell rang. Gasping, Phil got a baseball bat, and cautiously went to the door.

He opened it, preparing to strike. On the other side stood a familiar blond figure."…Oh, hey Keely."

"Hey, Phil," she said, cautiously. "I knocked, like, infinity times! Why did it take you so long?"

"Sorry, I just watched 'Saw'… Scared the scraps out of me. I thought you were that Jigsaw guy. Why didn't you tell me that movies in your time were so scary?"

"I really don't know, Phil," Keely said, rolling her eyes. "Can I come in? It's a little freezing out here…"

"Oh, sure." Phil let her in, and he caught a sniff of her hair as she brushed against him. "You smell nice," he blurted. He mentally reminded himself to punch himself in the face later.

"Thanks. New shampoo," she explained.

"It's good. Smells good. Almost as good as mine," he added, trying to cover up his previous statement.

"How Narcissistic of you."

"That's me. Full of myself."

"I've noticed… So, what is there to do?" Keely asked.

Phil and Keely pondered this for a while. Phil got sidetracked, and gazed at Keely for a while. He started thinking of the song _Midnight Confession_, and then he abruptly brought himself back to thinking of what to do, when she looked over at him.

"Well, you could sing Karaoke," Phil suggested. "Since I'm no good at singing."

"_I _could? Phil, the _power_'s out."

"Oh… right."

"Get with the program,"Keely muttered.

"What about 'Truth or Dare'? Do you have that game in this century?"

"Yeah… that's still around in 2121?"

"It sure is… You go first."

"Alright… Truth."

"OK, yes or no, you have a crush on somebody right now."

"Yes. Thanks for not making me humiliate myself by saying who," Keely said, sighing.

"Actually, that was going to be my follow up question…"

"Too late. No follow-ups. You can't ask who. Okay, you choose."

"Dare."

"I dare you to… throw a rock at Tanner's window. And I'm not talking a little one, I'm talking, like, this big," she said, her hands about eight inches apart from each other. "I want this window to be completely destroyed.

"Alright." Phil got up, got a coat, and tossed Keely one. They went outside, and walked over to Tanner's place, which was a few blocks away. When they arrived, Phil picked up a large rock, and threw it as hard as he could at the bay window on the first floor. Glass shattered, the sound resonated up and down the street, and Phil heard some words that don't need to be mentioned in a civilized story.

"RUN!" Phil shouted, and they dove behind a few bushes, laughing until they could hardly breathe.

"I can't believe you did that!" Keely laughed.

"Keely, Keely, Keely… after what he did to you, he deserves a lot more than that… I wish you told me to--"

"Thanks, Phil," she said, before Phil got sidetracked. He still hadn't forgiven Tanner, and Keely was afraid of what he might do. One can only go so far until it's considered manslaughter.

"You know--" Phil stopped when the rock he threw at the window landed just an inch from him.

"Look!" Keely exclaimed. "Call a geo... rock guy!"

"A geologist? Why?"

"A flying rock!"

Phil chuckled. "That's about the stupidest thing I've heard all day. He _threw _it at me."

"Oh..."

A few hours later, they were both completely soaked from the rain, and they were still playing that childish game.

Phil looked at Keely again, and soon he could not tear his eyes away. He stared at her eyes, those eyes, green like the sea. She never failed to captivate him with her beauty... even now, when her makeup was running down the sides of her face in light greens and blues, and her hair was sopping wet, hanging down in front of her eyes. There was something so... inimitable about her. He'd never met anyone like her, present or future. He had the feeling he never would again.

_What is happening? Why do I feel funny? I can't be… can I? _Phil thought

_Well, bravo to Captain Obvious! You've been in love with her for a while now! _his subconscious answered him. _I was beginning to worry about you, kid. You call yourself smart, and yet..._

_But she's my best friend!_

_You had to see this one coming! There's only one thing to do…_

_Tell her…_

_Well, that, or hide your feelings forever…I hear that some of the worst things can come from bottled emotions. I hear that John Wilkes Booth was pretty mad, but he never let it out..._

"Dare," Keely said, eagerly awaiting her sentencing.

_How do I tell her? _Phil thought.

He pondered over his options, Keely waiting patiently. He looked at her, and their eyes locked, causing him to think he was drowning. Something spilled out of his mouth, something he never would've been able to say consciously.

"I dare you to kiss me."

Keely stared at him, agape.

_Did I just say that?_ The words had just come out, like a dam that had finally burst.

"Sorry," Phil explained hurriedly, "I just… I just wanted to see if you felt for me the way I feel for--"

Phil's mouth was sealed off by Keely's. This action caught him off guard, causing him to fall to the ground, Keely falling on top of him. They kissed in the rain, lying on the ground until their bodies cried for sweet, sweet, oxygen.

"I thought you'd never ask," Keely breathed, and they resumed kissing.

**_Ya sé que despedirnos es mejor _**(I know that saying goodbye is best)  
_  
**Sufriendo pagaré mi error** _(Suffering, I will pay for my mistake)  
_  
**Ya nada será igual, lo tengo que aceptar **_(And nothing will be the same. I have to accept it)  
_  
**Y hallar la fuerza en mí para este adios** _(And find the strength in me for this goodbye)

Yes, it had been a year since Phil had dared her to kiss him, but he remembered it as if it was happening presently.

And the memory was burning ever brighter as Keely said that it was over.

He had made a mistake, and he admitted it, but knew no words could heal it. Yes, he had been caught kissing another girl (_Being kissed,_ Phil reminded himself. _She kissed me_), and he knew it was not his fault. But he didn't even try to convince her. He figured she wouldn't believe him. Or forgive him. She'd been hurt so many times before... he was willing to wager she never saw Phil hurting her, though.

All he could do was somehow say goodbye to the woman he loved for so long. He couldn't do anything else. He had to live with what it was.

He sat on the cold park bench, looking at his hands, his shoes, the trees. He just could not bring himself to look at Keely's face. Something inside stopped him.

Phil wanted a way to make himself invisible, but unfortunately didn't have his invisible spray with him. What he wouldn't have given for the earth to open him up and swallow him whole at that moment... He felt weak. He knew the feeling from long ago, and he hoped he would never have to visit it again. It was the feeling he had when he was in the future. Sure, he was happy in the future, but he also felt strangely empty. It was the feeling he had gotten whenever he had seen Keely walk away with her latest boyfriend.

And now, it had come back. It had come back forever.

_  
**Aléjate, no puedo más** _(Just walk away, I've had enough)  
_  
**Ya no hay manera de volver el tiempo atrás** _(There's no way to go back in time)  
_  
**Olvídate de mí** _(Forget me)  
_  
**Y déjame seguir a solas con mi soledad** _(And let me go on alone with my solitude)  
_  
**Aléjate, ya dime adios** _(Just walk away, tell me goodbye)  
_  
**Y me resignará a seguir sin tu calor**_(And I will resign myself to going on without your warmth)  
_  
**Y jamás entederé que fue lo que pasó** _(And I will never understand what happened)  
_  
**Si nada puedo hacer, aléjate** _(If there's nothing I can do, just walk away)

"I thought that we meant more to each other," Keely said to him. "I didn't know that you would ever ignore my feelings like you did. I can't go on like this. I can't live, knowing my... knowing that _you_ betrayed me like that...

Phil sighed, and said nothing. He knew that he couldn't change what had happened. He just wanted her to leave his life now. He _wanted_ her to tell him goodbye. He wanted these things because he knew that she'd never forgive him. He didn't want to go on without her, but knew he had to. Life was cruel.

He wanted to turn back time, to take it all away. But as the philosopher Jagger once said, "You can't always get what you want."

He only just resisted the temptation to apologize. He knew apologies would not heal the scars he had opened. Nothing ever would. He had marked her, been marked himself.

And the scars he had made would never disappear.

_  
**No voy a arrepentirme del ayer** _(I'm not going to repent for yesterday)  
_  
**Amándote te hice mujer** _(I loved you, woman)  
_  
**Por el amor aquel, por serte siempre fiel** _(For that love, for always being faithful)  
_  
**Hoy tengo que ser fuerte y aprender** _(Today I have to be strong and learn)

Phil knew that he would have to find somebody like Keely again eventually, no matter how impossible it seemed. He didn't think he'd ever find anybody like her again... Scratch that. He _knew_ he would never find someone who would understand him as she did. No one understood him in the future. She was the only one who did, and she was long dead when he was born. He didn't need the Giggle to tell him that.

And the one person he ever felt at home with was saying goodbye to him.

He knew that it wasn't just some force that tied them together. It had been pure chance, pure luck that the time machine broke down in 2005. At first, he thought it was destiny. He thought he and Keely were meant to be. Now he knew better. There was no such thing as fate. People are never fated to do something, fated to die at a certain time. Emotions run haywire, bodies shut down. It was science.

He didn't want her to be angry. He wanted to be with her, but he knew she could not forgive him for what she thought he did. He knew he had to pay. He should have pulled away, but instead he simply let it happen. A girl kissed him. Even Pim was disgusted with Phil, but she had a perfectly legitimate reason. Candida had kissed him. She wanted to be with him, and was willing to do anything to get that opportunity. She accomplished part of that mission- Pheely was terminated.

He loved Keely. Her, his only companion. The one who knew his darkest secret. But he couldn't stay. He wanted to... He couldn't...

He decided it was best. He had had enough close encounters with seriously altering the future.

He and Keely failed Mr. Messerschmitt's test, and Keely's future nearly steered her to being known as "The Cat Lady."

His family had taken Curtis out of his own time.

When he met Ricky Singh during the CPT's, Ricky only decided at the last minute not to take the test. He would later invent the WIZRD.

Developing a serious relationship with Keely would only mess things up more. If they were to tie the knot in the future... Phil didn't even want to think of what could happen. It was too risky.

But he _couldn't_ just _leave_ her...

_  
**Aléjate, no puedo más** _(Just walk away, I've had enough)

_**Ya no hay manera de volver el tiempo atrás** _(There's no way to go back in time)

_**Olvídate de mí** _(Forget me)

_**Y déjame seguir a solas con mi soledad** _(And let me go on alone with my solitude)

_**Aléjate, ya dime adios** _(Just walk away, tell me goodbye)

_**Y me resignará a seguir sin tu calor** _(And I will resign myself to going on without your warmth)

_**Y jamás entederé que fue lo que pasó** _(And I will never understand what happened)

_**Si nada puedo hacer, aléjate** _(If there's nothing I can do, just walk away)

"I can't do anything, Keely," he said. "I screwed up. I'm going to have to live without you. I just... wish you would leave. I can't bear to see you like this. I've become the very thing I've hated for so long. So just… tell me goodbye." Those last three words were the hardest things Phil ever had to say in his life.

He knew he would hate himself for it, but there was nothing he could do. He just had to let it happen. History has a way of happening the way it wants to.

_  
**Aléjate, no puedo más** _(Just walk away, I've had enough)  
_  
**Ya no hay manera de volver el tiempo atrás** _(There's no way to go back in time)  
_  
**Olvídate de mí** _(Forget me)  
_  
**Y déjame seguir a solas con mi soledad** _(And let me go on alone with my solitude)  
_  
**Aléjate, ya dime adios** _(Just walk away, tell me goodbye)  
_  
**Y me resignará a seguir sin tu calor**_(And I will resign myself to going on without your warmth)  
_  
**Y jamás entederé que fue lo que pasó** _(And I will never understand what happened)

"Goodbye, Phil," Keely said, and walked to the park gates. She was careful not to look back, because she knew if she did, she would never be able to leave him.

_**Si nada puedo hacer, aléjate** _(If there's nothing I can do, just walk away)

A/N-- That review button calls you, doesn't it? Don't try to resist it…


	2. like the wake of a propeller

**Welcome back, my naughty little monkeys. ;) Wow... this just flowed right out of my fingers... I had recieved many requests to make a sequel, and I already had a few ideas. I didn't think that I'd get such a strong reply. I had that idea for 'Just Walk Away' for, like, a month, and I wanted to get it just the way I saw it in my head. Oh well, as I always say, I'd rather read a well written chapter in a few days than a rushed chapter tonight... Then it took me a while to figure out how to actually get the story on the page... But it's all good, now, right? I guess I wrote Just Walk Away well enough. I was trying to create a scene much like Caruso (another Groban song). Don't know if anyone picked that up.**

**notebook and be234therz- I'm glad to see that you enjoyed_ Aléjate_... now, I never planned on this, but I've been getting a few good reviews about my child, so this is the outcome. I had another idea about this too. It's different... If you guys pester me about the alternate ending, I just might pull it out of the vault, but for now, you'll have to deal with this.**

**GoldCatMaster- Hey hey hey! Yeah, I've come to think of this as my internet home... I love reviewing stuff. There are some freaking good authors on this site. Nice imitation of the HemoPheelyacs by the way. I was wondering what they'd think of this story. I've decided that's what I'm going to call them: HemoPheelyacs. You guys are awesome. Puttin me in your fav author lists...**

**koolishcutie112092 and sponkier are pressuring me too. Jeez, I'm just starting my second work right now, and I might have to reconsider expanding my first. Oh well, if it'll please the fans, my pretties, then I'll be happy to... let's hope I pull it off.**

**This rocks. I'm getting some good reviews from some awesome authors... Me likey. Anyway, the reviews are much appreciated. The guys in my subconscious are already at the storyboard. Okay, that's it for this author note. You guys rock. First fifteen hours my story's out, I get five reviews. Thanks for the love! Oh, one more thing! Why does it send me an alert that I updated my story? Does it do the same to you guys? I'm not on my favorite authors list... I think I'd know if I wrote a story or not...**

**Hey. I just left for a few hours (just before I got koolishcutie and sponkier's reviews), and a thought occured to me. So, after I had a few hours to think it over, I realized... I _could_ do a second part. So... here you go. My story. Same deal as before. Translations are in (parentheses). -As always, Sultan Peppershaker

* * *

**

"Family Meeting!"Lloyd announced. You could tell by the way he said it, that it was a 'Family Meeting', not a 'family meeting'. They had been having several family meetings now (scratch that, Family Meetings). Phil hoped it wasn't because they were leaving. The thought of leaving the things and people he had grown attached to just killed him. There was no way he could leave behind his (_Keely_) life in this century.

"Please tell me you fixed the time engine," Pim said. "I can't stand one more minute with these 21st century knuckle-draggers!"

"Guys," Lloyd continued, ignoring his daughter like a responsible parent, "I have bad news... The chronoport is completely fried. I can't connect the flux capacitor to the..." He looked out at his family, who was staring at him like a boy would stare at a periplegic.

"In other words," Phil's dad went on, "I need a new chronoport."

"So?" Pim asked, increduously.

"Pim," Phil cut in, saving his father from further explanation. "We're in 2005. Chronoports won't be invented for a long time..."

"The first prototype made in--" Lloyd started.

"2102," his family chirruped.

"That's right. Which means-"

"We're stuck here?" Pim asked, horrified, while Phil asked, delighted.

"I'm afraid so."

Phil only barely resisted the urge to shout out, to let his emotions run wild. Unfortunately, it was nighttime, and he didn't want to disturb the peace.

The silence in the room lasted for several minutes, before Pim stood up. "I'm going to go up to my room... shut my door... and have... myself... a good cry..."

Phil slowly walked up to his room, also. Once inside, he opened his mouth, as if screaming, but not letting any noise out. He could tell everybody he'd be staying. He had been saying at school he might be returning home. But he could tell Owen, Via, Keely...

Oh, but it hurt to think of

* * *

"Keely?" her sister said (guest star AJ Michalka... heheh.). "Whatcha doing?" Keely was sitting at her piano, which was located in the backyard. She found it was much easier to concentrate outside. 

"Huh?" Keely looked up from the piano. "Oh... just working on a song..."

"Ooh... what for?"

"Uh... school project," Keely lied.

Bonnie sat down, watching her sister. "Well... are you going to play your..." she cleared her throat, "school project?"

"I haven't really started on it..."

Bonnie walked over to her sister's bench, and stole the papers from her. "HEY!" Keely shouted.

"Intro," Bonnie read off of the paper, while jumping on a chair, so Keely couldn't take her lyrics back. She continued to read while her sister shouted at her. "We've all made mistakes in life, and we all--"

"Be QUIET out there!" they heard their mother shout. The two froze, and Bonnie handed back the lyrics without another word.

Keely reread her introduction. _Bonnie was right to laugh_, she thought, and crumpled up the paper, and began to write a different one.

* * *

"Owen!" Phil called out. 

Owen turned around. "Hey, Philibuster. What's up?"

"Hey. You know how I said I might have to move?"

"Yeah, man. What about it?"

"Well... it turns out that I'm not moving after all," Phil said, expecting a different reaction than the one he got, which was:

"Are you going to tell Keely?" Owen was actually the slightest bit disappointed. If Phil _had_ left, then he would've gotten a shot at Keely. Unfortunately, due to his friendship with Phil, he was obligated to stay away from asking her out.

"Wh--..." Phil hadn't even thought of telling Keely. In fact, he had tried to put her out of his mind for the past three weeks. "I... hadn't thought about that..."

"Well... I mean, you told Via you might be leaving. She probably told Keely."

"You're right... But... it... ended... so terribly. I don't even know if she would care if I was staying. She'd probably rather have me leave..."

"I wouldn't be so quick to jump to assumptions," a familiar accented voice said from behind him. He whipped around, and Via continued. "I mean, Owen's right. I told her you might be leaving. She nearly cried, Phil. I don't think she wanted it to end so badly between you."

"I never wanted us to fall apart!"

"Well you didn't seem to keen on picking up the pieces!"

"I knew she wouldn't forgive... How could she?"

"She obviously does! Why else would she be so emo when Via told her you might be leavin'?"

Great. Phil was recieving advice from Mr. Smooth himself.

"Phil," Via said softly, "you shouldn't just shove her out of your life. She... she's been such a huge part of your life... how could you ignore her like you are?"

Phil sighed in defeat. He didn't really have a good reason to abandon the only one he really ever felt at home with...

* * *

Keely slammed her hand down on the table. She crumpled up the paper she was working on and threw it over her shoulder. 

"Hey, Keely," Bonnie said, sitting down on the table. "You're writing."

"And you're drawing attention to your ass by wearing tight-fitting pants," Keely said glibly. Bonnie raised her eyebrows. "Relax. It's a joke," she said, looking up at her. "I thought we were having a state-the-obvious contest."

Bonnie looked at her sister. "You've been writing non-stop for the past three days. You've never worked this hard at school, so I'm assuming this has something to do with a person..."

"Well your assumption makes about as much sense as the fact that drive through ATMs have braille writing on them."

Bonnie let that sink in, then protested. "Hey! What else would you be working on?"

"I don't know. Maybe it _is_ homework. Ever think of that?"

"With you? Unlikely. Maybe Phil..." She saw that her words had an impact. "Oh! Oh! _That's _it! You're writing something to Phil! I can't be_lieve_ it took me this long to figure it out!"

Keely pursed her lips. "Alright. You got me. And now that you know I'm writing something to Phil... _I'm not writing anything_," she said, emphasising the last four words with ferocity.

"Writing what?" asked Bonnie, smirking.

"That's the spirit..."

* * *

Phil didn't sleep much that night. He kept debating whether or not to tell Keely he'd be staying. He didn't really know why he shouldn't... Maybe Via could tell her... but then it would be obvious that he'd been avoiding her. The least he could do was go up to his ex and tell her he wouldn't be returning to the future, right? 

But maybe she'd get mad he wasn't leaving. Maybe if he had left, she wouldn't have to think about him anymore.

_But you know that's not true_, his mind told him. _Via said she still cares about you..._

(_Via ain't Keely_)

_She's her best friend!_

(_Keely's a good actor. Ergo, she's a good liar. Maybe she's lying to Via. Maybe she wants you gone._)

_Why would she do that?_

(_Because... she doesn't want her to know that she hates you. Why else?_)

_No... that can't be true._

(_Fine. But don't cry when you tell her and she spits in your face_._ She wants separation._)

Phil thought about this. If they went to their time, they'd be 116 years apart. 116 years is a long time. 42,368 days, to be exact, counting the leap years. 1,016,832 hours. 61,009,920 minutes. That is a long time. Plenty of separation.

Eventually, he managed to get those thoughts out of his head, and Phil went to

* * *

Sleep. It was the thing that evaded Keely the most for the past 23 days of her life. Not that she was counting. Why would she? Maybe because the one person that ever meant anything to her could be leaving her. Forever. He'd be over 100 years away. Math was never Keely's best subject, but she knew perfectly well that 100 years was a long time. 

Too long.

Of course, 23 days without talking to Phil was horrible too. She never thought things would end this way. At times, she thought he never loved her. He had killed her. _Just because my hand's around your throat... doesn't mean I love you._

But of course he loved her... He had to have loved her... he had said she was everything in his life countless times.

_He never told you he loved you_, the sick twisted voice in her head said.

(_But I know he loved me_)

_Why did he break your heart?_

(_He made a mistake..._)

_That he never fixed_

That much was true. He never mended her heart, like he had done when other boys ripped it up. Something between them had changed. Cause and effect. Candida and separation. It was really pretty simple.

Now why Phil had been avoiding her for so long was not such an easy problem to solve.

* * *

Phil sat on his couch, thinking of what to do about the Keely situation. She would notice if he stayed next door to her for the rest of his life, he knew. 

"Phil," a voice said, causing Phil to jump a foot in the air.

"Curtis... you scared the scraps out of me..."

"Where is Keely?"

"Don't you start with me, too..." Phil said.

"Start what?" Curtis grunted. "What you talk about?"

"We've... hit a kind of bump in the road."

"Try 'gaping chasm'," Pim said, from the stairs. Phil looked up at her. "Oh, I wasn't listening. Go ahead."

"What happen?"

"...Candida happened. We broke up."

"Oh hoh, Fashion Zombie..." Curtis said, nodding.

Again, Phil looked at Pim. She merely shrugged. "He's smart," she replied dully.

"Any ideas Curtis?" Phil asked.

"Bring her sabre-tooth tiger. She forgive you."

"Thanks, buddy," Phil said, rolling his eyes. "You've been a huge help."

* * *

Keely, taking initiative, paced up and down the sidewalk. It had to happen eventually. She knew that much. But with each passing moment it didn't, she grew more incredibly nervous.

* * *

"Mom," Phil called, "I'm going out!" _Anything to get my mind off of... her.

* * *

_

It was 6:30. The sun had just begun to set, and the sky was a hazy orange. It reminded her strongly of

(_the shirt Phil had worn when they separated_)

something... but she couldn't place it. But her thoughts were interrupted, when Phil exited his house.

"Keely..." he said, after a long awkward pause.

Keely mouthed something, but no sound came out.

"So..." _So much for getting my mind _off_ her._

"Phil... can I tell you... a story?"

Phil was rather confused at this question. His mother used to tell him stories when he was six. His dad still told him stories now. But what story could Keely tell him? "Um. Okay, Kee-- Keely. Go ahead." Phil grimaced as his voice gave a substantial crack in the middle of his sentence.

Keely sighed, and looked up at the sky, as if for some sort of help. When he thought she had completely forgotten about him, she piped up. "Long ago... A man embraced a young woman, after she had cried, her tears mixing with the waters of the Gulf of Sorrento. Then... he cleared his throat, and resumed his song. 'I wish you well with all my heart/ But I know so very, very well/ That it's now a chain/ That dissolves the blood in my veins.' He looked out at the sea, and saw lights. He thought of America, and the days and nights there... but they were only lights from a boat, and the wake of its propeller. He... he almost stopped, but when he saw the moon come out from a cloud... he realized death was even sweeter. A tear escaped from the woman's green eyes... and he nearly collapsed." A tear slid silently down Keely's cheek, and she turned away, so that he couldn't see it.

"Keely," he began, but she began to walk to her house. He debated whether he should follow her or let her go, and went with the former. She ran through the gate to her backyard, and he dashed after her.

When he arrived, she was sitting at her piano. "What are you doing?" he asked, huffing after his mad sprint to catch up.

Instead of answering, she began to play a song.

"_Il vento che soffia piano _(The wind that softly blows)

_Questa notte cambia il mio destino _(Tonight my destiny changes)

_E sento che il cuore _(And I feel that my heart)

_Ancora si sorprenderà _(Will be surprised again)

_La vita ora ha più senso _(Life now has more meaning)

_Se guardo questo cielo immenso _(If I look at this immense sky)

_E la luna inamorata _(And the enamored moon)

_S'illuminerà di me _(Will be illuminated by me)

_E sarà _(And it will be)

_All'improvviso amore _(Suddenly, love)

_Come il mare _(Like the sea)

_M'invade il cuore e l'anima _(Invades my heart and soul)

_E mi salverà _(And it will save me)

_E sarà naturale come respirare _(And it will be natural as breathing)

_L'aria in me mi parlerà di te _(The air in me will speak of you)

_Adesso tutto è diverso _(Now everything is different)

_Respiro te nell'universo _(I breath you in the universe)

_I tuoi occhi sono due stelle nell'oscurità _(Your eyes are two stars in the darkness)

_All'improvviso amore _(Suddenly, love)

_Come il mare _(Like the sea)

_M'invade il cuore e l'anima _(Invades my heart and soul)

_E mi salverà _(And it will save me)

_E sarà naturale come respirare _(And it will be natural as breathing)

_E sarà vero amore _(And it will be true love)

_Che guarisce il cuore _(That will heal my heart)

_Luce dentro me nascerà _(Light will be born within me)"

"The power of the opera is magnificent," she said, continuing her story. "With a little make up and gestures, you can become someone else. But if two eyes watch you, near and true, they can make you forget your words, and confuse your thoughts. And so, everything becomes insignificant... even the nights in America... You turn around- see your life like the wake of a propeller. Yes. It is life that ends. But that wasn't what he was thinking of. He was already happy, and so resumed his song." A long silence ensued.

Phil sighed. "...whatever happened to the woman?"

"She was a wreck. She thought the Ancestors fated her and the man to be together forever. When he left, a part of her went on, looking for him under the light that came from the sun... Most of her died."

"Did she ever find him?"

"She is still looking... to this day... The darkness will fade away... a new day will come, and she will continue to look for him. He's still with her, in her desert of a heart... That is, if she's still got one left inside the cave she calls a chest."

"What happened to the man?"

"She doesn't know. Where is he? His voice, his smile? Without his help, his love... what will she be?"

Phil didn't want those words to be in their hearts anymore.

"Tell me how the story ends, Phil. Let me know... I have to know," Keely begged him.

Phil sighed. He had one chance. He couldn't ruin it. "The man couldn't leave. He couldn't get to America. His transportation... was destroyed. He returned to her... He confessed to her..."

"Confessed what?" Keely asked, as tears of joy streamed down her face.

"His heart... fell into place with hers. She was special. He couldn't leave her... He just hoped that the woman would take him back..."

"How could she not?" Keely gushed. "The Ancestors had planned it all..."

Phil couldn't hold himself for another second. He ran and pulled her towards him, kissing her on her lips.

The two gazed into each other's eyes, his, dark and mysterious, completely opposite from his actual identity. Hers, green and lively, taking in just what was---

A retching sound brought them back to reality. "Keely," Bonnie said, "Mom wants you to clean your room." She went back in, and Phil could swear he heard her holler, "Get a room!"

"So," Phil said, after a light pause, "this woman really must love this man?"

"Of course she does..." Keely replied, returning Phil's smile.

"I loved that song... I never knew you knew Italian..."

"Phil..." Keely was just satisfied to be back in his arms.

"I should learn some. Like, '**_Si regresaras por mí, seria un milagro cada beso que me dieras_**...'"

"Actually, Phil... that's Spanish."

Phil chuckled, and kissed her again. "Listen... I've gotta go right now... I'll call you later tonight, okay?" Keely nodded, and flashed him a smile. He couldn't help but return one. "Spanish..." he muttered.

**_If you came back for me, every kiss you gave me would be a miracle_**...

It couldn't be any truer.

**A/N-- There it is. trumpet sounds The song Keely sang was "All-improvviso Amore," by, you guessed it, Josh Groban. Reviews make me happy. I'm also glad that Hermione781 noticed that in "Aléjate," the lyrics read "There is no way to go back in time." I was wondering when somebody would notice that. Pretty funny, though the song implies, 'there's no way to change what already happened'. Anyway, to make this nice and legal, I do not own "All'improvviso Amore." Anyway, as I said, this is one of my endings. I think it's the happier of the two. Speaking of happy, let it be known I can do funny. I just decided to start off with this, because it'd been around my head for a long time. Until next time, my pretties, this is the Sultan. Oh, by the way, do any of you listen to Josh Groban? I'm just curious to see if anybody knows any of these songs... Also, worry not, JuGgALeTTe4LiFe- Three cheers for sweet revenge! (BTW, that is not the alternate ending I was talking about... bug me about that. I'm usually susceptible to peer pressure.)**


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